Saturday, July 5, 2014

A is for Ambiguous Genitalia

Our last A word is ambiguous genitalia. Roughly 1 in 2000 people are born with
genitals that are neither here nor there.
Ambiguous genitalia is the most obvious sign of intersexuality and are
caused by a number of intersex conditions.
Ambiguous genitals come in many shapes and sizes. Most doctors treat ambiguous genitals with
surgery, though this is becoming more controversial (I don’t want to make this
post another anti-surgery rant).

Ambiguous genitalia are not medically dangerous, but are often
shocking and catch the family off guard.
The family worries about their child being bullied or having sexual trouble
(most ambiguous genitals are not well designed for giving or receiving penetration). Children pick up on their parent’s attitudes. I believe if the parents are ok with their
children’s genitals, the children will be ok with their bodies and define
intimacy for themselves.

Even “normal” unambiguous genitals are the most visually
diverse part of the external human body.
Penises come in all lengths and girths, scrotums may or may not be lopsided. The inner labia and/or clitoris may or may not
be visible from the outer labia. With
all the diversity of genitals, ambiguous ones should not be difficult to
accept. They are normal for the person
who has them. We should learn to love ourselves
and not try to erase human diversity.

P.S. There is an unfortunate fetishizing and fantasizing about a kind of ambiguous genitalia with a functional penis and vagina (see Japanese futanari, if you dare). This does not actually happen in nature. Ambiguous genitalia is not both male and female genitals, it is somewhere in between, and usually leans one way or the other (more male will mean less female and vice versa). Fully formed genitals of both sexes on one body is pretty much impossible. I hate to burn your bubble, but the genre of "hermaphrodite porn" is actually women wearing a prosthetic penis. If you are trying to date an intersex person because this is a fetish you have I urge you to stop. You will be disappointed, and their feelings will be hurt that you were only after them for some fantasy genitals.